With a massive restructuring underway, the company, which grew 20% annually until stagnation hit in 2012, will surpass the old numbers in two years.AHMEDABAD: Sales of homegrown liquor brand Aristocrat Whisky may have plunged to an all-time low of 7 lakh cases from a peak of 20 lakh cases earlier in the decade, but its maker Jagatjit Industries (JIL) is hopeful of a turnaround in 2016-17.

With a massive restructuring underway, the company, which grew 20% annually until stagnation hit in 2012, will surpass the old numbers in two years, said Roshini Sanah Jaiswal, promoter and chief restructuring officer at JIL.

The company should break even in March-April 2016, said Jaiswal. “We expect to close 2015-16 at Rs 1,200 crore. We intend to reclaim our position in the market with a massive campaign and rebranding exercise with Sunny Leone, Kalki Koechlin and yet another celebrity to promote AC Black, IICE Vodka and Aristocrat Premium respectively in 2016,” she told ET.

Jaiswal joined the company in November 2014. Since she started the process of restructuring in March, 160 heads have rolled and about 80 people have been hired. “We had to bring in new blood and even recruit new team leaders to drive the restructuring and modernisation process,” she said.

She has appointed new factory heads for three company-owned units, apart from rehauling the HR team, bringing in new heads of purchase, supply chain management and sales.

The flagship brand Aristocrat Premium Whisky accounts for 40% of the JIL portfolio, while AC Black comprises 10% and IICE Vodka contributes 5%. Aristocrat Whisky touched its peak of 20 lakh cases in 2011-12, equivalent to 18 million litres. It will have a new brand ambassador by April 2016.

The premium AC Black, which sold 17 lakh cases at its peak, will have Leone driving its relaunch campaign. While the tag line “Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai (anything can happen)” remains unchanged, Jaiswal said she hoped that the brand will surpass its historic peak in two years.

Three-year-old brand IICE Vodka has Koechlin to attract young consumers. The company has renamed flavours as Bare It All, Undress The Orange, Bite The Apple and a new flavour Kinky Chilli to appeal to young consumers who consume about 7.5 million cases of vodka per annum, said Jaiswal. “IICE will build an online interactive vocal through Pouritout.co that expects to become a community discussing issues online,” she said.

Selling in New Delhi and Rajasthan currently, the relaunch will take the brand to newer markets, including Maharashtra and the Northeast, along with Africa.

Jaiswal has roped in international packaging house Sedley Place UK to redo the packaging for AC Black, apart from getting Inverhouse from Scotland to improve the blends. “To improve blend consistency, we switched to grain-based ENA for certain brands like AC Black. AC Black is now a pure grain whisky,” she said.

Apart from four companyowned production facilities, JIL has five royalty partners and 13 tie-up partners, including two more units in Puducherry and Meghalaya that will be functional by February 2016 to back Jaiswal’s plans for the brand. The new facilities will take the capacities to 14 million cases per annum and Jaiswal expects 20% growth post restructuring in 2016-17.

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